Sad news, indeed, Pat. While I don't believe I ever had the pleasure of meeting him in person, his name was certainly well known and he was one of the "heroes" of skydiving. May he rest in peace. Blue skies, Gene

When I was just starting int the sport (in the 70's), I read Parachutist from cover to cover. There was picture after picture of this tough looking Army sargent named Thacker in almost every issue. I found out later that he was a Green Beret, Golden knight, etc. etc.

I figured that someday, I'd like to meet him. I'm sorry for everyone's loss.